PROJECT SUMMARY: ADMINISTRATIVE CORE The objective of the C-SiG Administrative Core is to provide leadership for the overall direction of the Center and to optimize member benefits from Center Programs and Cores. C-SiG Administrative Core leadership is provided by Dr. N.F. LaRusso, Director, Dr. G.J. Gores, Co-Director, and Dr. V.H. Shah, Associate Director, in conjunction with an Executive Committee, an Internal Advisory Committee, and an External Advisory Committee. The Executive Committee is comprised of the Director, Co-Director, Associate Directors, Core Directors, the Leaders of the Mechanistic Research Theme groups (Intracellular Signaling, Cell-to-Cell Communication, and Genetics/Epigenetics), and key leaders within the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and meets monthly. The Internal Advisory Committee meets quarterly and provides regular input to the Executive Committee regarding the strategic direction of the Center and facilitates communication with institutional leaders The External Advisory Committee consists of five internationally prominent investigators who are leaders in digestive disease research and meets annually in person and by conference call as needed to provide regular feedback to the Executive Committee. An Administrator provides the necessary support for real-time financial management and operations of the Center. A newly recruited Core Project Manager performs day-to-day Core project management to improve standardization of core processes, streamline efficiency of workflows, and enhance deliverable quality. The Operations Committee consists of the Director, Co-director, Administrator and Core Project Manager and meets weekly to plan and manage C- SiG operations. The administrative leadership assures responsiveness of the C-SiG Cores to the needs of the members and provides oversight for Core functions. C-SiG's goals are to promote cell signaling science by: i) Fostering multidisciplinary research by expanding technical and collaborative capabilities of established GI scientists and attracting investigators from other disciplines; ii) Identifying and nurturing new GI investigators via a peer-reviewed Pilot and Feasibility (P/F) Program including career development workshops, curricula, and structured mentorship (19/26, 73% of P/F recipients achieving federal funding); iii) Offering core-based specialized equipment, technologies, methodologies, reagents, and expertise (Optical Microscopy, Clinical, and Gene Editing and Epigenomics Cores), with continuous core menu updates, quality assurance and assessments, and project management oversight in response to member feedback; iv) Supporting a robust Enrichment Program; and v) Promoting interactions between C-SiG with other NIDDK centers at Mayo (e.g., PKD Center) and existing DDRCCs, especially in the Midwest (i.e., Midwest DDRCC Alliance).